Rating:  -
Superman and Batman are more than just another couple of superhero comic book charecters. They are icons of American popular culture. John Byrne is a master writer and illustrator in the field of comics and graphic novels who has turned his imagination and talents to creating a modern graphic novel masterpiece in Superman & Batman: Generations. Set in an "alternate reality" (a concept very familiar to comic book readers) Byrne takes the first meeting of Superman (Clark Kent) and Batman (Bruce Wayne) in 1939) and then follows their life stories for a spectrum of a thousand years. Here are all the familiar supporting characters such as Lois Lane, Robin, Jimmy Olsen, Alfred, Perry White, Lex Luthor, the Joker, and Raz a' Ghul, but positioned in new roles and relationships showing "what if" alternatives if things had turned out differently from the traditional canon of Superman and Batman tales. Everything is thrown in to these interconnecting stories (each laid in chapters dedicated to succeeding decades) and include everything from robots to immortality. Superman & Batman: Generations is a "must" for anyone who has ever thrilled to the stories of the caped crusader masquerading as a playboy millionaire, or the man of steel to be found behind the disguise of a mild mannered reporter.
Rating:  -
Despite having an excellent premise, this series fell flat due to the poor exectution by John Byrne. Is it just me, or does his current lackluster style of art show how lazy he's become? His original Superman work is far superior in quality of both story and art. This series had many good concepts but Byrne's corny dialogue, poor character design, and hokey storylines within the series left it feeling a bit too "cutesy" and childish. However, there are some fun moments but they aren't enough to outweigh the glaring flaws in this book. however, the series was well-recieved so you be the judge.
Rating: -
Wow. The wait was worth it. Originally published as a 4-issue series, DC did the right thing by collecting this in trade format. "Generations" is a very enjoyable story which deals with Batman and Superman in real-time: in other words, they were introduced in 1939 and age accordingly over the next century. So, instead of Bruce Wayne continuously being Batman, as he has for over 60 years (through retcons, Crisis, etc.), he ages, and the mantle is passed to others. Superman has to deal with a similar situation, for even if he doesn't age as a human does, Clark Kent has to. The best feature of the book is following these two heroes throughout the 20th century, and seeing their secret identities play a greater role in shaping their lives. They behave more like normal people.
It amazes me that John Byrne was able to cover a staggering amount of material in just 4-issues, but he pulls it off very smoothly. Also, the story is loaded with Golden/Silver-Age references, and each decade manages to capture the atmosphere of what comics were like at that time, so if you enjoyed the pre-Crisis versions of these heroes, this is the book for you.
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